Ravensâ quarterback Tyrod Taylor returned home to mentor 200 local youths, ages 9-14, at his second annual free youth football camp at Darling Stadium in Hampton on Saturday, June 15th. The camp was presented by Virginia-based, Knight Solutions Construction.

The Super Bowl champ enlisted the help of two of his Ravens' teammates, DJ Bryant and Bernard Pierce, and coaches from his father's athletic prep program, The Training Ground. His aim was to provide campers with a solid foundation of the game with an emphasis on both offensive and defensive basics. Taylor and the coaches led the campers through drills, agility training and gave position specific information.

After a productive day of training on the field, attendees enjoyed lunch during the mentoring segment of the camp, appropriately titled âChalk Talks.â Author and motivational speaker, Rob Hill Sr. facilitated the segment and spoke to campers about how their choices will affect their lives. In addition to answering questions, Tyrod emphasized the importance of hard work and education being critical to their success.

"My main goal was to make sure the campers had fun," said Tyrod. "But I also wanted to balance that fun by teaching them key skills that are necessary on the field and important lessons that they will need to succeed in life. At the end of the day, I want them to know they can do anything if they're willing to put forth the effort and make good choices."

Tyrod concluded the camp by giving out hustle awards to campers who worked hard and displayed outstanding sportsmanship during the camp. In addition to a great day of football on the field with their hometown hero, the campers also received an NFL gift bag filled with great prizes and got their camp shirts autographed by Tyrod.